The Great Southern Challenge

[Sir Rols]

Santiago and Christchurch still have another problem notarity, since they are not exactly the most known cities in the world

though i know one thing the south has going for them, the vote from asia africa and south american and central even so it may be close i hope New Zealand beautiful country and would be a great city

oh and who can nagano be larger then salt lake i remember hearing that salt lake was the largest city to host the winter games

I'm just going by population figures I found on the web this morning. It's pretty hard to find common ground there _ I suspect some of them include just the metropolitan areas, some include outlying areas, some of them are for the adminstrative district etc etc. I was surprised by the figure I found for Salt Lake as well, Maybe somebody can clear that up.  :help:

As for notoriety. Christchurch has a pretty good profile and like I said, has hosted the Commonwealth Games. I don't think Santiago is exactly low profile _ after Rio, Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo it's probably one of the highest profile in South America. What about the likes of Tromso, Annecy, Ostersund etc? And who on earth had ever heard of PyeongChang before the last winter bid?

[KRATK]

Why almost the 25% of the world must see the Summer Olympics Games in Winter and the Winter Olympics Games in Summer????????? Does we have problems with it?????

We see everywhere in TV or in movies a snown Christmas when I must be in the beach because I hate the december's heat??? In Chile, Southafrica, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, we watch the SOG in the cold august and we haven't any problems. Why in USA, Europe or China they can't do this??????

[KRATK]

Santiago and Christchurch still have another problem notarity, since they are not exactly the most known cities in the world

though i know one thing the south has going for them, the vote from asia africa and south american and central even so it may be close i hope New Zealand beautiful country and would be a great city

oh and who can nagano be larger then salt lake i remember hearing that salt lake was the largest city to host the winter games

I'm just going by population figures I found on the web this morning. It's pretty hard to find common ground there _ I suspect some of them include just the metropolitan areas, some include outlying areas, some of them are for the adminstrative district etc etc. I was surprised by the figure I found for Salt Lake as well, Maybe somebody can clear that up.  :help:

As for notoriety. Christchurch has a pretty good profile and like I said, has hosted the Commonwealth Games. I don't think Santiago is exactly low profile _ after Rio, Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo it's probably one of the highest profile in South America. What about the likes of Tromso, Annecy, Ostersund etc? And who on earth had ever heard of PyeongChang before the last winter bid?

I can't believe Santiago isn't a known city in the world. The fifth larger city in Southamerica, the capital of the southest country in the world, the second important bussiness city in Latinamerica (Miami is the first), etc, etc.

[stevie]

What about the likes of Tromso, Annecy, Ostersund etc? And who on earth had ever heard of PyeongChang before the last winter bid?

Exactly

Why almost the 25% of the world must see the Summer Olympics Games in Winter and the Winter Olympics Games in Summer??? Does we have problems with it??

We see everywhere in TV or in movies a snown Christmas when I must be in the beach because I hate the december's heat??? In Chile, Southafrica, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia, we watch the SOG in the cold august and we haven't any problems. Why in USA, Europe or China they can't do this???

:shocked: EXACTLY :shocked:

[Eruedan]

Eruedan the reason Australia doesn't compete at the olympics in hockey is because they are in teir three group b you have to be in teir one, or the top two finishers in tier two groups a and b to be at the olympics in hockey,

and wouldn't it be imbarressing for you to have your hockey to at the olympics and get flatter my canada and sweden in front of your home people, the same goes for curling, just a thought, though i am shear if australia wanted to they could create a winter olympics team that could flatten anybody give time look at the results from sydney

Considering you failed to mention automatic host qualifying - there would be no embarrasment for any southern hemisphere country as they wouldn't be in the competition.

Besides even if they were in the competition it wouldn't be any less embarrasing than the US handball & hockey teams in Atlanta, Australian handball & volleyball teams in Sydney or the Greek softball, baseball, volleyball, hockey & handball teams in Athens.

[stevie]

I just got an e-mail from Bruce Ullrich, the man who lead the 2006 and 2010 nz attempted bids.  :wwww:

Dear Steve

Neither bid for 2006 or 2010 proceeded. We went very close to bidding for

2006 after we had endorsements from the Christchurch local bodies and both

Mike Moore and I made presentations to the Christchurch City Council after a

full presentation had been made to the NZOC. However, we required Government

funding of around $1m to support the bid process and it came back to a

discretionary decision by Murray McCully (the MInister of Tourism) who had

previously given Auckland a similar amount for a bid for the World Cup of

Golf. Mike Moore knew MMcM  could fimd the money if he had to, but in the

end he turned down our request.

In stead of basing the Games on Canterbury our current thinking is to base

them on the Southern Lakes area which still needs to build up its

infrastructure further. Our reasoning for that is that the facilities will

have a greater chance of being viable after the Games and Queenstown is

already renowned as a world class resort. Lillehammer that staged the 1992

WO is only about the same size as Queenstown.

My own view is that we can stage the Winter Olympics in NZ - it is just a

question of when and I have many friends in the international winter and

summer sports fraternity who want to come to NZ for a Winter Olympics. Our

interest in staging the WO has already created a great deal of positive

awareness throughout the world.

The major obstacles -

-  NZ's credibility (in European eyes) as a winter sports country (we had

more experience than Sarajevo when iut was awarded the 1984 WO

- it has been a battle to fund the project to date and it has personally

cost me many thousands of hours of time and dollars (there has always been

some beaurocratic official wanting to knock the project).

If dollars can be allocated towards the project a combination of lobbying

and PR can get it moving again.

I trust this gives you some overview of the situation. Feel free to get back

to me.

Regards

Bruce Ullrich

So the main obstacles nz has it the

GOVERNMENT.

Its interesting that they are think on moving the bid to the Southern lakes district: Queenstown, Codrona, Wanaka, Pisa Range and the remarkables.

[Sir Rols]

Yes, I figured it was the government that was the main obstacle _ I think they've been spooked by the IOC when the subject's been raised in the past. All for $1 million! You'd have thought that that wouild have been a good investment in terms of free advertising and profile a bid would give to NZ winter sports. Anyway, at least it does look like Ullrich is still pushing it.

By the way nzolympic or mattygs, as an academic excercise, do either of you have any information on North Island-based ski facilities (Turoa etc)?  I was wondering if a North Island-based WOG bid centred on Auckland would have any legs?

[Sir Rols]

That said, a Queenstown-based bid would be picturesque. But would Queenstown have the facilities and infrastructure to host the non-skiing events?

[stevie]

Yes, I figured it was the government that was the main obstacle _ I think they've been spooked by the IOC when the subject's been raised in the past. All for $1 million! You'd have thought that that wouild have been a good investment in terms of free advertising and profile a bid would give to NZ winter sports. Anyway, at least it does look like Ullrich is still pushing it.

By the way nzolympic or mattygs, as an academic excercise, do either of you have any information on North Island-based ski facilities (Turoa etc)?  I was wondering if a North Island-based WOG bid centred on Auckland would have any legs?

North Island??? I dont think so some how

the olympic simi olympic class ski area in the north island is whakapapa at Mt. Ruapehu. The only skiing mountian range in the NI is in Tongariro national park. sorry but it just wouldn't work.

I say, keep it in the South Island.

[stevie]

I just got an e-mail from Bruce Ullrich.

He told me that they might just try a christchurch or Queenstown bid for 2014 or 2018. but first that need to get some financing behind them. :wwww:

(Fingerscrossed)

[Sir Rols]

I just got an e-mail from Bruce Ullrich.

He told me that they might just try a christchurch or Queenstown bid for 2014 or 2018. but first that need to get some financing behind them. :wwww:

(Fingerscrossed)

   

Excellent!!!! If NZ goes for it, I'll even learn to sing "God Defend New Zealand" and wear an All Blacks jersey to promote it!!!!

BTW: Congrats on the Bledilsoe last night! At least it's only one more year till we can try again  :devil:

[Sir Rols]

Just musing about a 2014 bid _ that would really throw a cat in among the pigeons! The trouble is, I think Europe's going to go strongly for 2014, and I think NZ would have a hard time fighting off the Euro powers (then again, I suppose a lot of Euro bids could split that voting bloc). As long as Christchurch/Queenstown could make the shortlist I'd be happy. Even if they lost the final vote, it would give some great encouragement for the future.

[Faster]

i woudl love to see NZ bid, it would in a cool experience to see Winter Olympics New Zealand Style

[Sir Rols]

I was just doing a bit of google research on South America and the Winter Olympics and just found out that there had been a Pan American Winter Games.

The inaugural Pan Am Winter Games were hosted by Las Lenas, Argentina, in September 1990 (it was originally meant to happen in 1989 but postponed). Eight nations participated _  USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia, but only the US and Canada won any medals.

Santiago de Chile was awarded the next Pan American Winter Games for 1993.  The US Olympic Committee however, insisted on a full schedule being held or it threatened not to go, after which the preparations for the games bogged down and the 1993 games were postponed, never to be re-scheduled.

Here's a link to more info, medal tables for 1990 etc:

Pan American Winter Games

It does prove, though, that at least one major Winter Games meet has been held in the Southern Hemisphere!!

[Guardian]

New Zealand shouldn't have any real problems hosting events like the World Figure Skating and Curling Championships. 2008 is open in these cases, I think.

[KRATK]

It does prove, though, that at least one major Winter Games meet has been held in the Southern Hemisphere!!

Portillo (ski center in Chile near Santiago) held the Skiing World Cup, but I don't remember the year. Tomorrow, I'll go to Los Andes to the house of my cousin and then we'll go to Portillo, jejeje... I'm in Winter Vacationes, yeah!  :laugh:

[stevie]

New Zealand shouldn't have any real problems hosting events like the World Figure Skating and Curling Championships. 2008 is open in these cases, I think.

tell that to our government

[Sir Rols]

It does prove, though, that at least one major Winter Games meet has been held in the Southern Hemisphere!!

Portillo (ski center in Chile near Santiago) held the Skiing World Cup, but I don't remember the year. Tomorrow, I'll go to Los Andes to the house of my cousin and then we'll go to Portillo, jejeje... I'm in Winter Vacationes, yeah!  :laugh:

I certainly know that World Cup ski events have been held down south, not just in Chile but also New Zealand, Argentina and even Australia. By my research though, this is the only multi-sport WOG-type event to have been held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Does KRATK or any of the other South Americans have more info on the Las Lenas games, or about Santiago's proposals for 1993? Apart from the link I posted and a few interviews with athletes who took part in Las Lenas, I can't find much.

[stevie]

I certainly know that World Cup ski events have been held down south, not just in Chile but also New Zealand, Argentina and even Australia.

really? i did not know. that cna you tell me when and where they were held?

[Sir Rols]

I certainly know that World Cup ski events have been held down south, not just in Chile but also New Zealand, Argentina and even Australia.

really? i did not know. that cna you tell me when and where they were held?

I know definitely from my research yesterday that Chile has (as KRATK mentioned at Portillo) and Argentina (at Las Nevas). Off the top of my head I'm pretty sure Mt Hutt has hosted (not sure about elsewhere in NZ) and I think maybe Hotham or Thredbo in Aus. I'll try to do a google search and find out definitely when and where.

[Sir Rols]

Well, Mt Hutt hosted in 1990, and Thredbo in 1989 at least. There's probably more as well. If I can find a definitive list, I'll post it.

[Sir Rols]

Actually, that's it. So the definitive list of Southern Hemisphere Ski World Cups is:

1966 _ Portillo, Chile (championships)

1985 _ Las Lenas, Argentina (mens)

1989 _ Las Lenas, Argentina (womens)

1989 _ Thredbo, Australia (mens)

1990 _ Mt Hutt, New Zealand (mens)

Link is here:

Ski World Cup venues

I also seem to remember that Brisbane, Australia, was scheduled to host the World Ice Skating Chamionships around 1999-2000, but they were taken away and re-awarded to France. Ice Dancing was part of the Goodwill Games in Brisbane in 2001.

[KRATK]

Someone knows where is Las Leñas?? Near Mendoza, in Neuquen (Sn. Carlos de Bariloche), I don't know...

[Sir Rols]

Here's a map with Las Lenas. Malargua seems to be the closest large city.

And here's a trail map for Las Lenas:

And here's some links to information about Las Lenas:

Las Lenas _ Castellano

Las Lenas _ English

[roca_jack]

It´s very impressive to see how people from other countries take Santiago as a very serious candidate for holding a WOG.....sadly, our authorities don´t think the same...

Mainly becuose despite we are the richest country of Latin America (in this moment) still we have an important % of poor people (18%), and politics are not keen enough for supporting a sport that is considered "elitist" and "of the rich people" (I mean ski and winter sports in general).

Also our authorities have big problems in choosing the image they give of our country to the world. They don´t know if promote us as an "exotic" and "ethnic" country as the rest of Latin America or show a more european image. As you can figure out, goverment support for ski resorts is poor.

I don´t know if we should give an "european" image of Chile, but of something I´m sure, we have a huge comparative advantage: Only 4 countries have skiable snow in the southern hemisphere (Chile, Argentina, NZ, and Australia).

Well, I still have the hope of holding  the WOG. Many years ago nobody thought of Chile getting the Football World Cup and we did it. Now the same could happen. I think we have many arguments for holding the WOG (rather than the summer olympics), a big city, 4 big ski resorts a few miles from the city, the biggest skiable area of the southern hemisphere....etc.

Sorry for my english, and for the foreigners who believe in Santiago...keep supporting us!

PD: Para el chileno que hincha a trivelli y compañía....compadre si tenis tiempo sigue hinchando por fa, encuentro que Santiago esta pintado pa unos WOG. Lamentablente mis estudios de arquitectura me tienen el tiempo copado, pero al menos podis saber que no eres el unico "gil" que ha pensado en esa posibilidad.